Coupled Isolation
by tmjohn72
Summary: Chad and Will are abducted by a crazed employee of Stefano DiMera.  They are forced to work together and in the process come clean about their true feelings for one another.  It will become Chad/Will slash in upcoming chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Coupled Isolation  
>Rating: T<br>Pairing: Will Horton/Chad DiMera

Chapter O N E

Will Horton closed his eyes after his third cup of coffee. The caffeine was meant to keep him awake but he was so exhausted that not even liquid sunshine could put the spring back into his step. The sudden placement of a hand on his shoulder brought the world back to him in a rush. His arms flailed like he was drowning until his eyes met Chad's staring back at him.

Chad had that expression. The one where you couldn't tell if he were about to bust out laughing or if he were really concerned. It was Will's favorite expression from his friend but his mind was too slow to excite him. "Chad? What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing in a public coffee shop at 9:30? Silly me." Will easily saw the hesitance in Chad's eyes as he started to walk towards the door. He was already out when the synapses in Will's brain began to fire for him to chase after him. It didn't take long, even in Will's state, for him to do just that.

"Chad, wait. I'm sorry. I can't seem to get a good night of sleep." The concern was back in Chad's eyes and he led the two of them to a bench. "Are Rafe and your mother still fighting?" Will nodded his confirmation, but he knew that Chad wouldn't need it. They had often spent time talking over coffee discussing their remarkably strange lives. "So you stay out late every night so you don't have to see them. Then you get up early so that you can avoid them in the morning. No wonder you look like crap."

Will was silent. He half felt that his brain were on the verge of shutting down. "Guilty. I'd better get home and face the jury." He fumbled with the keys in his pocket and when he finally held them Chad's hand covered his and gently removed the keys. They both ignored the spark as their skin touched the other. "What are you doing?"

He looked into Will's eyes and smiled. "I'm not going to get a phone call in the morning that my only friend drove his car into a ditch and is in a coma, or worse. Come on. I'll drive you home and I'll pick you up in the morning so you can get your car."

Will was silent. He simply followed Chad into the parking lot and every few steps found his eyes flying open like he were fighting to stay alive. Neither of them noticed the van parked next to Chad's car until two men appeared and shoved them inside. Their mouths were covered with a cloth and they both quickly slipped into unconsciousness as the van drove away.

Chad stirred and sat up quickly. He could hear Will's heavy breathing from the cot next to him and he got up gently to avoid waking him as he began to look around. He noticed a large overextended cage surrounding them, though it provided access to a bathroom and shower, mini refrigerator and microwave. He pulled his hand back from the metal cage as soon as he touched it because of a burst of electricity. It wasn't enough to kill him, he thought, but enough to make continuous touching extremely uncomfortable.

He already felt his cell and wallet missing from his pockets and he was certain their abductors took them to keep the two of them from getting any help. He glanced at his watch, telling him at it was just before 1 p.m. the next afternoon. He sighed and put a hand gently on Will's shoulder. He shook gently until Will sat up. The memories of the previous night quickly returned and he found himself staring at Chad.

"We're okay, Will. Try not to worry. I woke you because we have to figure out a way to escape." The rumble of a vehicle's engine drew their thoughts and diminished their chances, but Chad swore silently to them both that it was only temporary. The sound of a locking mechanism brought him back to the present.


	2. Chapter 2

Coupled Isolation  
>Rating: T<br>Pairing: Will Horton/Chad DiMera

Chapter T W O

Two scruffy looking men walked inside, each of them holding cotton bags with goods in it. They both laughed when they saw their victims were awake. "Look at that, Joe. Our visiting guests have finally decided to wake up." The other man eyed them closely and then stared at Will for a long minute. Chad, becoming protective, walked between the two so that the man was no longer able to see them.

"Why have you brought us here?"

They shared a look and the heavier of the two men walked towards them. He approached the bars but stopped a few feet clear for his own protection. Chad thought that he recognized the man but his best efforts to place him failed. "We just wanted a DiMera to hold for ransom. The Horton is just a bonus. This town is full of stories about the rivalry between your families. I wonder if they will work together or if this will bring out more conflict."

Will stood up and moved next to Chad. "You are making a mistake," he said, keeping his voice low so that they knew he was serious and not speaking out of fear. "Our families have connections in this town. If they work together you will suffer the consequences when you're caught."

Joe, the skinny guy holding the bags, laughs. "Do you hear that, Adam? He thinks we're stupid enough to stay in Salem." Will glares at the man. "No, I think you're stupid for an entirely different reason." The man's nostrils flared but he remained composed. He held a remote control and approached them with a bag of groceries. As he touched the door a quick beep filled the room. A key unlocked the door and the two men entered, locking themselves inside.

Chad was already processing scenarios in his mind, but he didn't expect Will to punch Joe in the jaw as he approached him. The man fell to the floor but quickly rose to his feet. He swung back, hitting Will in the gut. Will slid to the floor as the heavier guy pulled a gun and pointed it at Chad. He reluctantly complied, holding his arms up and remaining still so that they could exit.

Once they were clear and the door was locked again, they returned the electricity to the bars. Chad moved and helped Will up and they both seemed okay. "That little faggot hit me. You're dead, kid." Adam rolled his eyes and turned back to their two captives. "If you do that again we will shoot you, no matter how much ransom your families are willing to pay. The bag there has food, water and supplies. We will be back to check on you in the morning."

"You can't just leave us here!" Will's protest fell on deaf ears as the men quickly exited the warehouse building. He and Chad walked back to the cots, ignoring the bag of goodies for the moment. Suddenly alone, Chad's focus turned back to Will.

"Are you ok? It looked like he hit you pretty hard." Will nodded and lifted up his shirt. A nice bruise was forming over Will's stomach. "Not major damage. I could be bleeding internally, but I doubt he was that strong." Chad's eyes focused on Will's exposed flesh until the shirt returned to cover the wound. "They could have killed you. We have to be careful to get out of this."

Will knew his actions were stupid. Even as a child he always hated the idea of being confined and the prospect terrified him, especially now that it was a reality. He was happy to have Chad with him, even if he didn't want to admit it to himself. "Sorry," he finally said. "It's okay. At least you have fight in you. We may still need it to escape. We have to figure out a way to get out of this place before they come back.

"I'm glad that you're with me," Will said. Chad smiled, "Yeah. Who knows how long we'll be here. At least you have someone pretty to look at." Will laughed. Although he was unable to tell Chad the full extent of how he felt for him, he figured that somewhere deep inside the guy knew how special he was to Will, even if it never moved into his consciousness. "I was talking about your family. Everyone in the northern hemisphere knows that you don't mess with a DiMera and get away with it. Your father will scour the Earth and use every bit of technology he can to find you."

Chad smiled at the image of is father using some implanted microchip to find him. He lost the smile when it didn't sound as far fetched as it should have. "Don't sell yourself short, man. Your mother is like a ferocious lioness when it comes to her children. Plus, you have the Horton's and the Brady's looking out for you. Hopefully we can get out of here sooner rather than later."

"We know the bars have a current running through them, but there are ways around it. Especially since it's remote controlled." Chad laughed and he looked into Will's wide eyes. "Easy Einstein. How are you going to control some electricity if you don't have your utility belt?"

Will was already thinking. He walked over to the bag of items and dumped it. After scourging through it for a few minutes he found nothing, so he walked to the mini refrigerator and pulled out a plastic shelf. He rolled his eyes, "Of course it had to be plastic."

Half curious, Chad moved closer so he could watch what he was doing. Will surveyed his supplies, thinking carefully about the possibilities of each one. "Well?"

-  
>Please review and comment if you are hating or enjoying this story!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Coupled Isolation  
>Rating: T<br>Pairing: Will Horton/Chad DiMera

Chapter T H R E E

Will shook his head, accepting their defeat.

"We just don't have what we need. We could place the plastic rack onto the bars bit there isn't anything to conduct enough electricity or short it out. They planned this too well." Chad hated to see Will so discouraged. He put a hand on his shoulder and started to say something when a whole new idea came to mind.

"The cots are metal," he said, thinking out loud. Will nodded, wondering where he was going. "We could run the shower and trail the pipes to the bars. Whatever they have charging it is bound to short when the pipe conducts the electricity to the water."

Will smiles and the two of them begin quietly working. Will ties the bars together using strips of fabric from the cots. When they are ready they use water to soak the connecting fabric to help the charge move and then they lay one end of the pipe tube in the shower. Will grabs the other end from Chad and tosses it towards the bars.

A loud pop fills the building followed by a flash of light. After a moment Chad tosses a stray pipe left over from the cot onto the bars and it hits without hitting electricity. Will moves into the bathroom and turns off the water while Chad moves the pipe away from the bars without meeting any electricity.

"Now we just need something to pick the lock with." Will thinks for a moment and pulls a piece of wire out from the edges of the broken cot. "Will this work?" Chad was hopeful as he took it from him, using the wire and looping it so that it was stronger, as he shoved it inside the lock. After close to fifteen minutes the pins finally set, more by luck than effort.

The door swung open and they headed directly for the door. They opened it, not bothering to look out any of the windows, and made their move directly into the path of Adam and Joe's van. They both laughed as they raised guns at their two captives and Will began to think that he didn't hear their vehicle start up and leave.

"Did you really think we'd be stupid enough to leave you there? We just got word that your ransom is being set up just in time for your new cell." They were tied and gagged and then shoved back inside the van. When the doors opened close to an hour later they were led into a back entrance of the DiMera mansion.

Chad did his best to scream and get attention, so an angry Joe hit him over the head with a gun, creating a nice cut on his forehead. Annoyed, the other captor led them through the kitchen. Leslie, one of the maids, looked up and smiled at them. "Excellent. Take them to the pantry and utilize the hidden cell. Our paid contractor told Stefano that the cell had been destroyed and then cleaned it up as we asked. You should find the accommodations fitting.

They were led through the pantry and a secret hallway when Adam slid one of the shelves out from the wall. Down a hallway that took them toward the pond on the grounds was a cell far more advanced than where they were previously held. They were unbound and shoved inside, allowing them to remove their own gags.

"Leslie, why are you doing this? I was always nice to you!" The dark haired woman smiles. "It's nothing personal; we just want the money your ransom will bring. Will was a surprise addition to our plan. You two can scream all you want. This facility is soundproof." With that as their final word, the three of them took off. A set of security doors closed to block off their view of the hallway.

Defeated, Chad sat down as Will grabbed a first aid kit by the bathroom door. He found the supplies and joined Chad on the oversized bed and began to look at it. "Thanks," he said when the wound was covered. "Well, I wouldn't have felt right letting you get a scar on your pretty face." Chad blushed slightly but Will was too embarrassed to look at him to notice.

"My family sure has a knack for picking staff, huh?" Will laughed and reached for a remote. Instead of turning on MTV they found a variety of video feeds set up around town so that they could monitor the entire town. "My father told me about this place. He designed it to be a safe room for our family along with a couple others on the property. He didn't know it would be turned into a prison."

"They will pay the ransom and then we'll be set free." Will sighed. "Do you really think that? We've seen their faces and they know all about your father. Even with the greatest riches your father can find a way to get to them. If they hurt you then they he will make them pay." Chad narrowed his eyes at Will. "You really do think we're all monsters, don't you?"

"What? No, of course not! I just meant that he loves you and won't let anything happen to you." Chad relaxed and nodded because he knew Will was right. "You're right about it all. You remember why I didn't want to be related to him or any other DiMera. Even Lexi almost became corrupted."

"Yeah, but that is in the past. Your family is trying to be straight now." Chad found himself smiling uncontrollably to Will's confusion. "What are you laughing about?" Finding a moment of calm wash over him, Chad decided to finally take a stand about something that had been bothering him for a long time. "I'm bisexual," he blurted out suddenly. Will stared at him.

"Crap, I freaked you out. This is why I haven't told anyone." Will shook his head and distracted himself from what it meant for their friendship long enough to calm Chad down. "It just never occurred to me. But I am completely okay with it."

"Yeah?" Chad eyed Will hopefully, wanting to know if his dream of Will feeling something for him was a reality, but no declaration came. "See if you can get the police station on there," he said finally. Will flipped through the channels of various familiar locations until he came to a police conference room.

Sami was crying and Rafe stood silently nearby with a hand on her shoulder. Stefano and Kate sat across from them while Will's grandfather asked them questions. "Dad, we should be out there looking for them." Roman Brady shook his head and watched as his daughter continued to break down. "Sami, in abduction cases it typically is more dangerous for police to randomly search locations. If they get wind of our search then they could scare and harm Will and Chad."

"How much money are they asking for?" Roman slides a letter on the table. It includes Polaroid shots of the boys bound and gagged, which disturbs Chad. Sami continues to cry at the sight of them. "They are asking for ten million each."

"I will call a couple of friends and see if we can get the money," Rafe says, exiting the room and leaving Sami alone. Roman's face grows red but he tries to remain calm. "Titan can front you the money until you can raise enough to pay it back should we lose track of it," Kate offers. Sami thanks her quietly.

"There has to be a way out of here." Chad nods, "The only way is for Stefano to find us or for our captors to let us go. Maybe we can overpower them when we see them?" Will sighs and turns off the television. "We have to try. I can't just sit here and watch my mother have a melt down."

Chad rises to his feet and moves to the doors. His fingers trace the edges. "What are you doing?" Will stands next to him so that he can see. "This is the first thing they do in the movies." His fingers catch on a small recessed latch just out of sight where the door extends from the wall. When he flips the switch a light switch panel slides an inch to the right revealing a mini numerical keypad.

"Great. Now we just need to figure out the code. Do you have any ideas?" Chad shakes his head and begins trying birthdays and numbers that would seem important. None of them work. Chad turned suddenly, not expecting Will to still be close and fell onto him. They both collapsed onto the floor. Chad laughed immediately.

"Sorry, I thought you moved away." Will is silent. His eyes are lost within Chad's and he is oblivious to his hand rising to Chad's neck. Caught up in emotion, Will pulls him close and when their lips touch an electric shock floods through their bodies. A rhythm quickly develops between their lips and tongues until Will gets up and walks into the bathroom, locking the door behind him.

Chad stands and moves to the door. He knocks gently as he hears the sound of the shower turn on. "Will? Open up, man. We need to discuss this." He reaches out and tries to turn the knob but it is still locked. "Will? Come on..."

-  
>Please post reviews and leave comments. I read every one!<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Coupled Isolation  
>Rating: T<br>Pairing: Will Horton/Chad DiMera

Chapter F O U R

The door opens and Will steps out fully showered wearing a new set of clothes from a stockpile in a dresser. They are slightly oversized, but they provide comfort which is what he is after. Chad is asleep on the bed and the clock on the wall reads ten fifteen. Will is quiet as he lies on the bed next to Chad, being sure to make no sound to wake his kissing partner. His eyes watch the sleeping form of the guy only a few hours earlier he was making out with. Will couldn't believe what had happened. He knew Chad was an attractive guy. Half of the women in Salem dropped everything just to stare at him when he would pass. Will had caught himself looking Chad up and down on more than one occasion.

Still, Gabi was his girlfriend and he cared a lot for her. He froze. "I _care_ for her." He sighed and turned his attention to the pair of eyes staring back at him. "Hey," Chad said, suddenly awake.

"I don't know what to say," Will says. Chad sits up, moving the remote to a side table. "It's okay. I don't want to put pressure on you." A glossy look slides over Will's eyes. He turns to Chad, "I think I'm gay."

Chad pulls Will close so that his head is resting on Chad's shoulder. "It will be okay. I am your friend and nothing will change that. You are always going to have me." Will evens his breathing and tries to calm himself. He is unsure if his nervousness is because of the secret he just gave away by letting Chad in, or if it his closeness to Chad.

"What am I going to tell my mother? She isn't going to handle it well. Gabi is going go flip out." Chad laughs and puts his arm around Will's shoulder, "You're lucky. I was afraid to tell my mother and she died. I haven't figured out a way to tell Stefano but Lexi was amazing. Besides, you don't have to tell anyone if you don't want to. But you should tell Gabi."

"Did you know when you met me?" Chad shook his head, surprised at the suggestion. "I didn't have a clue. I didn't know anything except that I was starting to have feelings for you." Will smiles and laughs, causing Chad a lot of confusion. "I think I've wanted to be with you ever since we met, even with all of the stuff with Mia. Why do you think I fought so hard for Stefano to let me add you to that project?"

It was a strange moment for both of them. They were suddenly confronted with the possibility of being together and they were still locked inside a hidden room while a ransom for their lives was being collected. "I was so jealous when you and Gabi got together. I tried to avoid you after that but it hurt more to be away from you." They slowly fell asleep, finding solace in the company of each other despite the current situation.

A loud click suddenly filled the room. Chad got up and closed the hidden panel connected to the light switch while Will took his position at the other side of the door. The two men walked into the room with guns, but Will and Chad quickly hit both of them and ran for it. As soon as they were at the pantry they shoved the door closed. They started to run out when Leslie appeared in the doorway holding a tray of food.

Thinking quickly, Will grabbed the tray and tipped it up allowing Chad the opportunity to run past and get help. Hearing the commotion, Kate and Stefano ran into the room as Chad ran past, calling the police from the phone in the hallway. "What is going on? Will, where have you two been?"

"Leslie and two thugs had us locked inside a secret room connected to the pantry. The two men are out cold, but they have guns." Chad rushed into the room. "I spoke to your Grandfather and they are on the way." Leslie emerged from the pantry holding a gun at them.

"Why are you doing this, Leslie? You have been here for almost fifteen years." Her eyes were full of anger. "Fifteen years far too long, Mr. DiMera. This job has been hell and I have covered your family more times than I can count so you all can get yourselves into more bad situations. I'm taking your money and I will start a new life where I own the mansion and I have staff. But first I am going to make you pay." She levels the gun at Chad and pulls the trigger.

Will crashes into Chad, pushing him to the floor, as a bullet hits him in the chest. Stefano reaches out and takes the gun from Leslie while Kate hits her in the face. A loud cracking sound is heard as she collapses to the floor. Kate screams, holding her hand. "Will?"

They all turn to the floor where Will is bleeding. His eyes roll into the back of his head as he loses consciousness. Chad quickly applies pressure on the wound as Stefano calls Lexi and Kate calls an ambulance. "Will, you can't leave me now. Not when we finally got through this. Not before I can tell you that I love you," he says, so that only Will can hear.

-  
>Do you think that Will is going to die? Hmmm...dare I?<br>Please post reviews and leave comments. I read every one!


	5. Chapter 5

Coupled Isolation  
>Rating: T<br>Pairing: Will Horton/Chad DiMera

Chapter F I V E

"Will, it's been two days. It's time for you to wake up," Chad says, his hand holding his boyfriends. They hadn't officially had a chance to discuss their relationship, but Chad was comfortable assuming as long as he decided not to tell anyone until Will was ready. The door opened and Sami stepped in, but Chad removed his hand before she could see. "Hello, Chad. How are you?"

"I'm getting by. Wishing Will would wake up. I am so sorry all of this is happening."

She seemed confused by his apology, "You didn't do anything wrong." Tears began to fall from Chad's eyes. "He wouldn't have been abducted if he weren't with me. He wouldn't be here in a coma if he didn't push me out of the way and take a bullet for me."

"Chad, my son cares about you. You are his best friend and I know that he wanted to protect you. He made a choice because he wanted you to live. Lexi says that he could wake up any day. Don't give up on him."

He wipes his tears away as Lexi comes into the room. "Is now a bad time?" Sami shakes her head and Lexi begins taking Will's blood pressure. Chad rises and turns to them both. "I am heading down to get some coffee. Would either of you like anything?" Lexi and Sami both decline so Chad leaves.

"Poor Chad, he is really taking this hard. He is blaming himself because Will pushed him out of the way of the bullet." Lexi finishes her exam and turns to Sami. "Will is going go be perfectly fine, so none of you need to worry. I haven't seen Rafe in a while." Sami rolls her eyes. "He says he needs a break. He is staying in a hotel just outside of town. This week has been hell."

Lexi starts to say something, but she is distracted by movement. She turns and finds Will staring directly at her. "Hey. Someone here would like to speak to you." Sami rises and joins Lexi next to his side. He smiles at the two of them. "I'm here, Will. You are going go be just fine. I am going to call your father. He is flying in to see you."

When Sami leaves Will turns to Lexi. "Is Chad here?" Lexi is slightly surprised, but she agrees to answer the question. "He went to get coffee, but he should be back in a few minutes. He has been here since you have. I had to bring him clothes and give him access to the staff shower," she says. Will laughs.

"Laughter is a good sign. Do you have any pain?" Will shakes his head. "Your blood pressure is normal and the bullet has been removed. It avoided all your organs...you are very lucky. Thanks, by the way, for saving my brother."

"All in a days work. When can I go home?" Lexi looks at his chart and thinks for a moment. Her pager goes off but she ignores it. "If you are doing this well you can go home by tonight, as long as you take it easy. You are going to have a little pain at the wound so you have to stay...calm."

Will blushed. "Did Chad tell you what happened?" "No, but I do have a pretty smart frontal lobe. He hasn't left your side, he is the first person you ask for and I have seen the way he talks about you." Will is suddenly quiet as Chad rushes into the room, dropping his coffee on the floor.

"I heard your mom telling your dad that you were awake." Ignoring his mess on the floor, Chad rushes to Will and kisses him on the lips. Lexi looks away, trying to hide the smile. She watches as Sami appears in the doorway seeing everything. "Guys," Lexi warns. They suddenly quit and notice Sami in the doorway.

"Mom...we need to have a talk." She is suddenly quiet and distracted. Lexi puts a hand on Chad's shoulder and leads him towards the door. "We will give the two of you some privacy." Once they are gone Sami closes the door and takes the chair next to the bed. Will watches her closely but for the first time in his life he has trouble figuring out what she is thinking.

"I suppose I don't need to ask why you didn't tell me. It hurts that you were afraid." Will shakes his head, hopeful that she will stay calm. "I just figured out while Chad and I were captive. I think we were both so resistant that we couldn't just let ourselves feel it. This is weird." Sami chuckled to herself. "For me, too. What are you going to do about Gabi?"

"I have to break up with her. I don't love her and she deserves to be with someone that isn't gay." His face was red as he said it, but she just put a hand on his wrist and smiled. "I love you no matter what. Everyone in this town is crazy about you. I think a lot of people would be surprised. Some may not accept it, but you will always be loved and accepted by your mother." "Thanks. That means a lot."

"Good. Now, we need to talk about Rafe. He and I are having problems and Chad told me that you have been avoiding coming home. I think that you should know that we still love one another, but we are unsure where to go from here." Will was silent for a moment. Finally he put his hand on his mother's wrist and said, "It will be okay, I think. If he didn't want to work on it he would have already left."

"How did you get so smart?"

"Smart parents make brilliant children. It's kind of genetic like musical ability. Can I ask you something?" She nods, wondering what he needs to know. "Does it matter to you that it's Chad and not some other guy? I mean he _is _a DiMera." She laughs, surprising him. "It does worry me. Lexi is proof that a DiMera raised away from Stefano has a chance, but even she slipped. Even a Brady or a Horton can hurt the one they love. All I do know is that you must love Chad to take a bullet for him."

"Yeah," he says finally, somewhat surprised by his own answer. She gets to her feet and reaches for her cell phone. "I am going to call your Grandfather so that he knows you are okay. Then I should probably call your Grandmother." "Don't tell her about Chad and I. He has to do it himself...or at least she has to walk in on us kissing." "You are her Grandson," she says with a laugh, opening the door and leaving.

Chad stumbled in with a stack of paper towels to clean up his mess as soon as she left. Once he was finished he returned to Will's side. "What gave you the stupid idea to take a bullet for me?" "Just stupid, I guess. I told my mom that I am gay and that we might be, well, together. She took it really well. I think she really likes you."

"Yeah?" Will nods. Chad looks directly into his bright blue eyes, "Too bad I am already taken. Once you break up with your girlfriend, I mean." Will sighed loudly. It was obvious to Chad that he wasn't excited about the idea of hurting her, but he knew that it was something Will was going to do. It made him happy that he didn't have a girlfriend to break up with.

Will reached for Chad and gently pulled him onto the bed. "Lay here with me." Chad nods, holding him. Within a few minutes they both fall asleep, unaware that Kate is already at the hospital and is standing in the doorway watching them. She starts to walk away and runs into Sami.

"Have you spoken to Lucas about this?" Sami, confused, starts to ask her what she is talking about but is cut short when Stefano appears from the elevator. "Lexi called. I got here as quickly as I could. Sami, how is Will?"

"He is going to be fine," she said, glaring at him. She wanted to blame him for the entire situation, but she doubted it really had anything to do with him. "I just saw both of your children cuddling. I think we have something more important to discuss." Sami rolled her eyes, knowing all hell was about to break loose. Stefano looked to Sami and then back to Kate.

"Kate, what are you talking about?" She put a hand to her forehead displaying that she was still trying to come to terms with it. "Chad is holding Will in the hospital bed. Lucas would have a fit if he knew about this." "Lucas might, but neither of you are going to tell him. Chad will speak to you both about this in his own time just like Will can speak to his father when he is ready."

"You're saying that they are in a gay relationship?" Throwing her arms up in defeat, Sami was thrilled to see Lexi notice them and come over. "Please don't make me have to call security again. They're going to say that I'm a trouble magnet." Sami ignores the humor of the situation. "Kate is flipping because she just saw Chad holding Will in bed."

"They're both asleep. Stefano, we have to do something about this." Stefano takes a deep breath and turns to Kate. "If my son is a homosexual I will love and care for him exactly the same. Just as we will respect his decision to chose who he loves." Kate, flabbergasted, walks towards the coffee. Stefano, on the surprised look of his daughter and former ally slash nemesis, smiles.

"I have to say, I didn't expect that from you." Stefano shrugs his shoulders, "I can't say that the possibility didn't occur to me. Especially with all of the children I have." Lexi laughs and heads towards the room. She stops in the doorway and quietly heads back to them. "Those two are adorable. Page me when they wake up so I can do another check. If he seems to be doing well I will release him so that you can take him home tonight."

"Thank you, Lexi. I'm so glad you were here."

"It's what I do. Oh, Abe wanted me to talk to you about coming to dinner sometime. If you and Rafe are up for it." Sami smiled, and unsure of where to begin, looked at her watch. "How much time do you have?"

-  
>For those that can't tell, when I mention Rafe I am referring to Rafe2.<br>Please post reviews and leave comments. I read every one!


	6. Chapter 6

Coupled Isolation  
>Rating: T<br>Pairing: Will Horton/Chad DiMera

Chapter S I X

"Oh, my god." Will and Chad both stirred at the sudden loud voice in the hospital room. Chad removed his arm from Will and slid to the floor at the sight of Gabi. He looked to Will and sighed, "I will be outside if you need me." He slid past Gabi and left the room, half expecting her to attack him on the way, but she kept her composure.

"What in the hell was that," she asked, closing the door and standing with her arms crossed at the foot of the bed. "Gabi, there is something that I have to tell you. I'm gay." She laughed, but tears began to well in her eyes. "That is ridiculous. You and I..." Will adjusted the bed so that he could see her better, causing him to sit up and the sounds of the bed's mechanics to fill the room for a few long seconds. "I am in love with Chad. I can't believe I didn't realize before now. I do care about you Gabi, but I don't have romantic feelings for you. I was lying to myself, trying to ignore my real feelings by forcing myself into a relationship with someone so amazing that I was almost able to believe it myself."

Gabi walked over to the chair next to the bed and took a seat. She was quiet, but the tears falling from her eyes were evidence that something more emotional was happening inside. "I wondered about you when we first met. But then you seemed so caring like no one else mattered to you. But then you started becoming close to Chad and I felt you slipping away. You would talk about him and your eyes would almost glow. That night that I snuck into your room and slept in your bed you said his name."

"I didn't know. I just realized before he and I escaped. I think I really love him, but I am scared of what this means for everyone else." "Then ignore it. You will start to love me in time. We can start a family and be happy together. We can move anywhere in the world. I don't think I can live without you," she said, as sobs began to escape her composed demeanor.

"I hate doing this to you. I wish I would have realized before we got together, but I didn't." Will looked away from her and focused on the painting of a boat sailing towards a sunset. No matter how many times he tried he couldn't imagine anyone on the boat with him except for Chad. An uncomfortable pain began to develop in his chest and he knew that it must have been how it felt to have your heart break.

"Gabi, you will get over this. You deserve a guy that loves you and no one else. I understand if it hurts too much for us to be friends, but I would like us to be." She reached for a Kleenex on the table and her eyes focused on a machine displaying Will's heart rate. It was slowly dropping.

"Will, do you feel alright?" He nods, though some of his color seems to be missing from when she first entered the room. She quickly reaches over him and presses the call button. A nurse comes onto the line immediately, "This is Alice. What can I do for you?" Will was confused. He watched Gabi until his eyes fell into the back of his head. "This machine says that Will's pulse is 32. His blood pressure is dropping and he just lost consciousness. We need a doctor!"

"Help is on the way," the nurse said, as alarms began to sound. Gabi stands motionless for what seems to be forever until a nurse enters the room, followed by Lexi and another nurse with a cart of medical instruments. "Gabi, I need to know what was happening." "He broke up with me. He started losing color and his heart rate was lowering," she said, talking over the alarms as much as possible.

Lexi hit a button on machine to stop the alarm and she began CPR. "What happened to him? He was fine!" "His heart may have stopped from all of the stress, or an infection could have entered his bloodstream. Charge the paddles and get someone from surgery down here. We are not losing you, Will, do you hear me?" Gabi began go cry as the paddles flooded electricity into Will's body, so she ran out of the room.

"Gabi, what is going on?" She stopped and smacked Chad as hard as she could, but he remained standing. "He's dead. It's your fault he's dead, you bastard." She started to hit him again, but sight of Sami and Kate breaking down behind him caused her to stop. She walked out without saying a word.

Chad ran to the room with Kate, Sami and Stefano quickly behind. "What is going on," he demanded, entering the room. "Chad, you can't be in here," Lexi said, as she injected him with atropine to get his heart started. "Lexi, you can't let him die. Not now!"

"We are doing everything we can. Please, all of you wait outside." A man in scrubs quickly brushed passed them; knocking Chad into the wall in the process, but Chad didn't register any pain. There was only one person he was worried about. The man immediately began an exam as the final pulse caused Will's heart to continue beating.

He was being given oxygen through a bag, probably as a precaution, Chad noted. He didn't care what it took as long as the guy he loved was going to be okay. "We reexamined the x-ray," Lexi says to the surgeon, leading him to a light box on the wall with a series of chest scans. A tiny white dot is present just to the right of Will's heart. "There is a fragment just to the right of the heart."

"Good catch," the surgeon said. "We can easily remove that. Where is the guardian?" "I'm right here," Sami said, entering the room. The surgeon produced a piece of paper from a printer within in the room and then handed it to her with a pen. "We are going to have to operate to remove a stray bullet fragment close to your son's heart. The procedure is risky but it has been performed tons of times by me and my team. There is always a possibility something could go wrong, but I feel good about the chances."

"Do whatever you have to do to save him," Sami says, quickly signing the document. "You two help me get him to the fifth floor," the surgeon said. The nurses quickly wheel him away and towards the elevator, past everyone that cares about him, including Lucas Horton that exits the elevator as he prepares to go in.

"What is going on," he says, turning to Sami, "you said he was stable." Sami wipes the tears from her eyes with a napkin from her purse. "He was. A bullet fragment near his heart was missed. They think it will be easy to remove it."

"I'm sorry," Lucas says, immediately knowing that he was wrong to freak out. "I'm sure he'll be okay. Right, Lexi?" Lexi approaches them and puts an arm around Sami. "The fragment is small enough that it will be easy to extract in one piece without the fear of it breaking up. But there is a chance that it could be pushed deeper into the heart muscle which could damage it further. Doctor Wallace and his staff are the best emergency surgery team in the state. They will do everything they can for him."

Chad walks over and sits next to Gabi in the chairs. "Are you alright," he asks, trying to be generous but unsure of the response he is going to get. "I freaked when I saw that his pulse was dropping." Lexi smiles, "You probably saved his life. You called for help as soon as the danger presented itself. If we had arrived later I'm not certain we would have been able to resuscitate his heart."

"I don't want anything bad to happen to him. Even though he isn't my boyfriend anymore." Lucas seems surprised by that revelation. "What are you talking about? I talked to him three days ago and he said you two were thinking about planning a vacation together. She looks to Chad and then back to Lucas. "Things change but people don't." She gets to her feet and heads to the elevator, leaving as soon as it arrives.

"That was weird. I thought they were happy together." Kate starts to say something but Sami quickly covers, "I'm sure Will would want to talk about it when he's feeling better. He might need his father's advice or support." Lucas laughs, "I doubt I'm the one to be giving him advice about women."

"You all are free to head home, if you would like. I will be happy to call you." Stefano looks to Kate and sighs. "We are going to go to the police station and make sure the animals responsible for this are being punished adequately. Please contact us as soon as there is news," Stefano says to Sami. She nods and joins Chad.

"Why don't you go home and get some rest, Chad? You have been through a lot these last couple of days. I will call you as soon as I get some news." Chad shakes his head, "I can't leave him." Lucas, sensing something strange, turns to Lexi, "Isn't there some type of empty room he could rest in until it is needed?" Lexi nods and leads Chad down the hallway.

"That was strange," Lucas says, sitting next to Sami. She plays dumb. "What do you mean?" Lucas sighs, trying to put his finger on it, but not quite finding it. "I don't know. I guess I just find it weird that Chad is so worried about Will. First they had the stuff with Mia and I guess they never really got over it."

"The two have become friends. I'm surprised Will hasn't said anything." Sami lowers her eyes to the floor, quickly realizing that Will didn't mention it because he was probably sorting out his feelings and didn't want to tip off his father. Lucas looks to her, "You know something."

"What? I don't know what you mean." Lucas rolls his eyes. "You forget our history. I have a pretty good feeling for when you are hiding something from me and not telling the truth." Sami finally relents, saying only," Fine. I do know something, but it isn't my place to say anything. Besides, Will and Chad spent a lot of time together in captivity and Will took a bullet for Chad. Maybe he just feels responsible and wants to be sure our son is okay."

"Oh, my god. Are you telling me something is going on between them?" Sami tries to laugh off the suggestion, but she knows that even as she does it he gains more suspicious. "That is a crazy connection to make, even for you. What gave you that idea?" "The fact that Gabi is furious with Chad, he is so worried about Will, and the rest of you seem like something horrible has happened."

"Something horrible did happen! My god, you can be so dense sometimes." Lucas laughs, "I won't argue with you there. Fine, I'll wait to talk to Will." "Good," Sami says, "you should probably stay away from your mother until you get the chance to do that." Lucas sighs, "Now I know something is going on between them. I saw you cut her off when I arrived. She looked like she wanted to tell me something."

"I always like to talk over your mother. Otherwise she would think that her opinion is important to me," Sami says. Lucas laughs and turns to Sami, "What do you say we head to the fifth floor? I hear they have better coffee up there." "You have yourself a deal," Sami says, checking her cell phone to see if Rafe has returned any of her messages about Will. To her sadness he has not responded to any of them.

"Chad, the three of us need to have a family discussion about this. I know that you think you might be gay or in love with Will. You are just confused." Will sat in the hospital lobby. Will was about to be released and Sami wanted Chad to know that he was welcome to accompany them to their house so that Will could get settled in.

He didn't anticipate his stepmother finding out about the invitation and ambushing him. Chad looked her directly in the eye. "I am in love with Will. I am bisexual and I don't appreciate you ambushing me like this." He gets up and walks away, but she follows.

"I don't think that you really know what you want. If your mother knew about this do you think she would have wanted this for you?" Chad stops and turns back to her with fury in his eyes. "I wouldn't know. She's dead, remember?" Kate sighs, realizing that she was wrong to ask that. She holds her hands up. "I'm sorry Chad. I just want to discuss this."

"No," Chad says, attracting the attention of Lexi and Sami as they wheel Will towards the door. "You just want to change me because you think my love for Will isn't the same as your screwed up love for my father. You want to change me because you think that Will and I need validation and approval from you, but you're wrong."

"Chad, let's just go," Will says. Chad takes a deep breath and walks outside of the hospital with Sami and Will. Lexi approaches Kate, who seems to be lost in her own thoughts. She shakes her head after a minute, suddenly acknowledging Lexi's presence. "Don't tell me you agree with this."

"Come on, Kate. Chad is the closest thing that he has to a mother now and your acting like this will destroy the respect that he has for you. I know that Will is your Grandson and Chad is your stepson and that you care for each of them. What is so wring with them loving each other?"

Lexi leads Kate to the chairs and they both take a seat. "Lexi, I don't know if this is something that I can accept. I wanted so much more than this for Will. Ever since we discovered Chad was Stefano's child I pledged to take care of him, but I can't accept this lifestyle."

"That is where your wrong, Kate. This isn't a lifestyle. This is love." Kate looks away showing Lexi that there is something extremely wrong with her attitude. "Listen, I have an idea. What about counseling for your entire family?"

"Counseling so that I can change my mind?" Lexi nods, "Maybe. Or maybe it will help Chad figure out that he isn't bisexual and that he is making a mistake. Either way we know that Will is gay. It seems to me you would want these two guys to be happy."

"I do, but this will not be happiness for them. It will be a life of strife and pain. No one will accept their relationship and they will always have to be on the offensive." Lexi thinks for a moment and then she puts her hand on Kate's. "What they need right now is all of their friends and family to tell them that what they are feeling is okay, and that whatever they think or feel they will not lose the people that love and care for them. Think about that."

Lexi gets up and walks away, giving Kate time to think about her opinions and actions. After a few minutes she gets up and leaves the hospital and heads for her car. Once inside she heads home with an idea that could save her family and her position in the town. "I know that I am right," she says to herself, not bothering to pay attention to the red light that she ran. A large ice truck smacks directly into her car as ice goes everywhere. A woman on the street looks at the scene and turns to her husband, "That is just cold." The two of them laugh.

-  
>I don't dislike Kate...but I have found myself slowly hating her over time.<br>Sami would say that she deserves to get hit by an ice truck.

Please post reviews and leave comments. I read every one!


	7. Chapter 7

Coupled Isolation  
>Rating: T<br>Pairing: Will Horton/Chad DiMera

Chapter S E V E N

"Here you go," Chad says, handing Will and Sami both a glass of water. Sami thanks him and then asks Chad to sit down. "I wanted to talk to the both of you. I want you both to know that I am accepting and supportive of both of you. Now, we are going to have to set up some ground rules."

"Rules? What kind of rules?" Sami smiles, "First off, no more getting abducted or jumping in front of bullets. I am fine with the two of you being together, but I want you both to be careful. If you two are going to be intimate..."

"God, mom," Will groans. Despite his annoyance, Chad finds it a little bit humorous. "We have both agreed to take things slow." Sami smiles, "I think that is a great idea. Chad, would you like to join the family for dinner? Will's father is flying out tomorrow and he will be coming tonight."

"That would be great," he says, "but I should probably check with my father first." Sami nods and leaves the room. Chad holds Will's hand and smiles at him as he calls his father to ask permission, but the smile fades when he finds out some horrible news. "Mom," Will calls. Sami rushes into the other room as Chad hangs up.

"Kate was in a car accident leaving the hospital. She's in critical condition!" Sami is unsure whether to be happy or upset. She eventually comes to her senses, "Okay, I will drive us there. Will, call your father on the way. Chad, do we need to pick up your father?" He shakes his head, "He is already on the way."

Kate rolls her eyes at Chad, Stefano, Lucas and Will standing in her room. Lexi continues taking her blood pressure. "She was hit on the passenger's side. She is going to be perfectly fine as long as she gets some rest." "Well, you said I was going to be fine and then there was a bullet fragment close to my heart. Are you certain," Will asks.

Lexi sighs and does her best to remain calm. "As much as I can be. If you would like I can show you the test results," she says with a smile, looking directly at well. Chad puts a hand on his shoulder which causes Kate to get annoyed. "No, I don't think that would be necessary," he says, smiling back at Lexi, as she writes down final information.

"We are just glad that you're alright," Chad says. Kate smiles. "I am sorry to the both of you for my reaction earlier. I am just having a lot of trouble dealing with this. So much that I didn't notice that I ran a red light. I was thinking that maybe the three of us could try some type of therapy?"

Will and Chad both share the same worried look. "I think it will help me understand where you are both coming from and strengthen our relationship. It will also help your relationship with each other...if you decide that is what you want to do." "Well," Will says, "at least she is trying."

"Okay, I will do it," Chad says. "I will too, as soon as you are feeling better," Will says. "Excellent. When can I go home?" Lexi smiles at her tenacity. "You should be cleared to leave in a couple of hours. I'm just waiting for one final test. Dad, I'll give you some instructions to check on her through the night to be sure there aren't any complications from the concussion."

"I will do whatever is necessary. Kate, you must be more careful." Stefano kisses her gently on the forehead. "We're going to go ahead and go home. Sami is going to make us dinner tonight, but I will be home after." Stefano shakes his head, "I think we should be together as a family, Chad." Kate puts a hand on his, "No, let them go. I won't be much fun with this concussion and it will be good for them to spend time together."

Stefano nods at her approval, "Very well. Please be home by 9:30, alright?" Chad nods his agreement as he and Will head to the elevator. Once inside they find that they are alone and Chad pushes the emergency stop button. Will stares at him, wondering what he is up to.

"We can't reach the parking lot unless we go a few more floors." Chad smiles and turns, putting his hands on Will's shoulders. "I just thought it would be nice for us to have a little time to ourselves before we have to be well behaved. I never got to properly thank you for saving my life."

"Oh, yeah?" Chad nods and kisses Will on the lips. "Yeah," Chad says slowly and seductively, opening his mouth so that Will's tongue can slip into his mouth. They quickly start a rhythm but are suddenly interrupted by the elevator alarm sounding. "Crap, we must have been statuary too long." Will quickly reaches past Chad and presses the button which immediately resumes the elevator and cancels the alarm.

They share one final kiss before the doors open. A security guard meets them as soon as the doors open. "Is everything okay in here? The elevator alarm sounded." "Yeah, it was strange," Chad begins, "the elevator stopped and it started again just as quickly. I didn't even expect that alarm to sound." The guard smiles at their efficiency. "Well, couples used to lock themselves in the elevator and have sex, so we installed it as a deterrent."

He watched their smiles carefully and shook his head as they exited past him and left the building. They laughed all the way to the car and even on the way as Chad drove them back to Sami's apartment.

"Something smells delicious," Chad says, as Sami lays the spread on the table. "She's been trying her hand at Indian cuisine," Rafe says. "I have never been the best cook. I'm trying to expand myself," she says, taking a vegetable samosa and putting it on her plate. When she cuts into it chunked chickpeas and potatoes pour out along wit a stream of cheese.

"It smells good...," Will says, hesitant to take the first bite. Chad takes a bite and smiles a second later. "It is delicious." Will laughs and when Sami and Rafe seems confused, Will puts his hand on Chad's. "He always smiles like that when he is lying through his teeth. Mom, next time let me help you." He turns to Chad, "I got a "B" in home economics my senior year of high school.

"That is pretty impressive. I got an "A" because of my banana pudding," Chad says. Rafe laughs and takes a bite of the samosa. He chews for a few extremely long seconds and then swallows. "I think you made a great effort, honey," he says. Sami smiles, but it is obvious to everyone in the room that their relationship isn't all smiles.

"You all are in for a treat," Sami says. "After dinner I have a delicious chocolate cream pie and this time I didn't try to make it myself. I got it at the store." Will and Rafe applaud and do their best to be kind while tasting the food. "Mom, the naan turned out amazingly."

"It was all delicious. Thank you so much for inviting me," Chad says. "Mom, if its cool with you I am going to drop Chad off at the mansion and check on Grandma." Sami nods, "That would be nice. I'm sure she would be happy to see you. Just remember our previous conversation about being careful." Rafe suddenly coughs, causing rice to fly out of his mouth onto his plate.

"Don't worry mom, we aren't having sex yet. Thanks for bringing that up," Will says, annoyed. Chad blushes and turns his attention back to his plate. A series of beeps goes off and Rafe checks his cell phone. He takes a minute to read the text message. "I'm sorry to cut out so early. I have to head to the docks to inspect a shipment which is probably full of drugs or people being sold into slavery." He stands and turns to Sami, "I will be back as soon as I can."

A brief look in her eye has him questioning whether or not he wants to return. He waves to the two guys and then leaves as quickly as possible. "So, we've had a crazy week, haven't we?" Chad nods, "I think year would be more correct. Salem definitely seems a little...off recently."

"Agreed. Would either of you like more?" Will and Chad both shake their head, trying not to be rude while not receiving any more of the food. Sami relents, "Okay. Let me get rid of this stuff and then I'll get us some delicious pie." "Would you like any help," Chad asks? Sami shakes her head, "I can manage. Thank you, though."

"Can I get you anything, my darling?" Kate shakes her head, sipping on her bottled water from a straw. "I just received a text message from Chad. Will is driving him home so that he can check on you." "That Grandson of mine is a very sweet boy, but I'm sure it has more to do with him wanting to be with his boyfriend." She cringed at the word.

Stefano stares at her, surprised by her response. "You are not handling this well, are you?" Kate shrugs her shoulders, "I don't accept this lifestyle for either of them. Hopefully our therapy sessions will show them the error of this type of lifestyle." Stefano sits back on the couch away from her. "You know, I am surprised by this reaction from you. I thought out of everyone you would be one of the most accepting women, especially where your Grandson is concerned."

"I don't know what to say. I just do not condone their relationship." "I'm sorry you feel that way," Will says, as Kate and Stefano turn to find he and Chad standing in the room's entryway. "Will...," she begins. "No," WIll responds, "I don't need to hear anymore. I'm going to go." He kisses Chad on the lips and then waves at Stefano. He stops and turns back to her, "I'm glad to see you're still you, but maybe a little bit of compassion wouldn't have been such a bad side effect of your car accident." He leaves without another word.

Chad walks into the room and sits across from them. "That didn't go very well. I should have known you were trying to con us. I'll bet you were going to try to set us up with a reparative therapist, too." Kate sighs, "Doctor Reynolds has a high success rate of helping people remove themselves from the homosexual lifestyle."

"You don't understand Kate, we are happy being who we are. I feel something for Will that is much stronger than your inability to accept us. Will loves me so much that he was willing to jump in front of a bullet and risk his own life so that I would be able to survive. I can tell you right now that I doubt either of us would be willing to do the same thing for you. Feel better," he says, rising to his feet and heading to his room.

"I will speak with him in the morning. He should not have said that," Stefano says, walking over to the bar so that he can fix himself a drink. Every time something comes to mind he starts to say it, but he stops. Finally he takes a drink and then turns to her after finishing every last drop of the scotch.

"Kate, if you want to keep Will and Chad in your lives you will have to change your opinion, just as you had to do with Lucas and Sami not that long ago. You are domineering and controlling and unwilling to bend." Kate laughs, "You're one to talk! When people don't do what you want you implant microchips in their brains or have clones or prisons created!"

"I am not a perfect man, I acknowledge this. But I know how important your family is to you and if you continue on this path you will lose all of them. Maybe you don't begin with acceptance...maybe you begin with respect as one human being to another." He kisses her gently on the forehead and heads for the stairs. "I will be in bed waiting for you. Remember I have to wake you every two hours."

She is furious at the thought that she must change her opinion, but the thought of losing her family scares the death out of her. She was extremely upset when Will was in danger. If Sami and Lucas could accept them, she thought, maybe I can at least attempt to do so. Conflicted, she closes her eyes, hoping her dreams will provide her with the answers.

"I just wanted to check on you," Chad says, speaking to will on his cell from his bedroom. "You ran out of here pretty quickly." He hears the sound of Will's breathing and finds himself matching it. "I was just so angry at what she said." "I understand. She admitted to me that she was going to have us see a reparative therapist to make us straight. I guess she wouldn't do it if she didn't love you."

"She cares about you too," Will says, "I can tell that she does." He shrugs his shoulders and gets into bed. "I wish you were here with me." Will sighs, "We will get there eventually. Maybe we'll even get our own apartment. Do you have any classes tomorrow?" Chad nods even though he knows that Will isn't able to see him. "Yeah, I have a business management class in the morning."

"That sucks. Maybe we can hook up for lunch." "Yeah, that sounds nice," Chad says, chuckling at the innuendo. Will laughs back, "You know that isn't what I meant. Punk." "Slut." "Bitch." "You know how I love it when you demean me, baby." "First you call me a slut and then you call me baby. Sounds like you have some issues to work out."

"Nothing a little time with you wouldn't solve." Will laughs again, "You really do have the gift of the blarney, don't you?" "Guilty, I suppose. I'll call you when I get out of class and see where you are. Okay?" Will agrees and he hangs up the phone and closes his eyes to fall asleep, the first time that he feels on top of the world.

Will woke from a series of sounds coming from his mother's room. He looked at the clock, seeing that it was just after 2 A.M. and yawned, hoping he could easily fall back to sleep. The sound of a gunshot from her room caused him to get to his feet. The first thing he did was dial 911 on his cell phone. "911. What is your emergency?

"I just heard a gunshot from my mother's room. We are at 2213 Lakeview in Salem. I am going to check on her. You should probably send an ambulance." He hung up and tossed the phone on his bed, reaching for a baseball bat just outside of the closet. He crept slowly out of his room and into his mother's room, where he saw Rafe with a gunshot to the head, and his mother nowhere in sight.

He walked closer into the room, calling out for her as quietly as he could. He saw something move under the bed, but in the darkness he couldn't see exactly what it was. The adrenaline was pumping through his system now; enhancing his eyesight and making him wonder where the shooter was. He hoped Rafe would be okay, but his concern right now was making sure his mother was safe.

He spun and walked into the hallway and swung the bat at the shadow that moved towards him. The voice screamed, but he recognized the sound. "Joe? What the hell are you doing in our house?" He raised the bat in an attempt to make a second blow but Joe tackled him, causing him to hit his head and lose consciousness.

Chad woke up as soon as the light in his room was turned on. He sat up, groggily, and wiped the sleep from his eyes to no avail. Drowsiness quickly returned, but the look on Kate's face sent chills down his spine. "What's going on," he asked, getting out of the bed wearing only a pair of pajama pants. Stefano followed her in wearing a robe a minute later.

"Okay, you're both up? What happened?"

"We just got a call from Roman Brady. Apparently someone broke into Sami's apartment. She is in critical condition from a gunshot to her abdomen. Rafe is dead." "What about Will?" Kate took a deep breath, knowing this was going to be difficult. She put her arms around him and held him close as she broke the news. "Will is missing. Whoever shot Rafe and Sami took him."

"What about the other children?" Kate turned to Stefano, "They weren't there. They were staying the night at Roman's for some reason. Chad, the police are out looking for them right now." "Do they know who did it?" "Roman thought it was suspicious that Joe Bridgewell posted bail a few hours before the attack. He is the prime suspect and missing."

Chad pulled away from Kate and immediately began to pick out clothes. He quickly got dressed. "Where are you going?" "I have to do something. Help look for Will, or something. This is my fault...he went after Will because he's trying to get back at us."

Stefano put his arms around Kate and held her, "They will find William and I am certain that he will be in perfect health." Chad stopped suddenly and turned to Stefano. "You must have tons of connections with Underworld authorities. You have to have them help find WIll."

Stefano was shocked by the idea, leading Chad to believe he either wasn't able or wasn't willing. Annoyed, Chad quickly walked past them both. Kate sighed, "The only good thing is that Rafe was killed before he could tell Sami the truth about your abducting the real Rafe and keeping him captive."

"That is an unfortunate circumstance. I do not have the connections that Will thinks, but I do have my own security team. Excuse me while I make a few calls." Kate nods as an idea comes to mind. "I'm going to go to that secret room through the pantry and use that monitor with cameras all over the city. Hopefully they will show up somewhere."

"Please be careful. If Chad is correct then this man, and possibly the others, is trying to get back at the DiMera's. If anything happens to you...," he warns, not even fully knowing how Kate's death would effect him. For the first time since their marriage Kate finally felt like Stefano actually did care for her instead of just using his knowledge of her schemes to keep her married to him.

-  
>Please post reviews and leave comments.<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

Coupled Isolation  
>Rating: T<br>Pairing: Will Horton/Chad DiMera

Chapter E I G H T

Chad arrived at Will's apartment and broke through the outer layer of police officers. Roman looked up hearing the commotion of the officers trying to grab him to prevent him from contaminating the crime scene. He stood and walked over. "Chad? What are you doing here?" "I came to help. I have to find Will."

"You can help us by not contaminating our crime scene." "How is Sami?" Roman scratches his head, "She's out of surgery and going to be okay. The doctor on duty said that the bullet nicked an artery but they repaired it. Chad, tell me, why are you here at three in the morning?"

Chad looked around and after seeing that none of the officers were around to hear, he decided to come clean, even though it could potentially out Will to his Grandfather. "I'm in love with Will. So you have to let me help." Roman thought for a minute and then pulled out a map. "We think that he could be held in the same facility you two told us about. The one you were in before you were moved to the room on the DiMera mansion."

"It looked like a large warehouse, but other than that I can't help out much. The van they put us in didn't have any windows." He thought for a moment, "But they didn't cover our eyes when they shoved us in on the way to the mansion. I saw a number written on a utility pole."

"What did it say?" Chad thought again and then closed his eyes. The image of the pole returned to his mind as soon as he focused. "SW17309." Roman smiled and Will was obviously confused. "Each utility pole is labeled with the location it is placed so that if something breaks they can be repaired. He quickly dialed a number on his cell phone.

"Bo? Roman...we have a break. There is a utility pole outside of the place where Chad and Will were being held. Meet me at the station in fifteen minutes." Roman hung up and started for the door. Chad quickly followed him into the hallway, but Roman stopped him.

"Chad, it is far too dangerous for you to follow me. This guy killed Rafe and he could have killed Sami. Will is still in danger and I'm not going to let him get a chance to go after you as well." Chad was aggravated, "But I have to help him. Please, Mr. Brady...I have to do something."

His hand flew to his scalp and he again scratched an itch as he began to think. "You can come with me to the station, but you aren't a police officer and I'm not going to let you get put into danger. Now matter how much you say you love my Grandson." An officer standing at the door turns away when Roman notices that he has turned to look at him.

In the car it was obvious to Chad that something was bothering the police officer. "Are you going to ask me what you want to ask me, or just keep glaring straight ahead like I'm not here?" Roman relented, "I was just wondering if Will shared these feelings for you." Here we go, Chad thought. "I dunno. When we find him you can ask him, if you want." "Maybe I will. When we find him," Roman says, as they pull into the police station.

The pair of them quickly went inside finding Bo and Hope inside. "I asked Bo to bring Hope so she can keep an eye on you, Chad. She is a former police officer and she understands the process of a case like this." She smiles at him and hands Chad a cup of strong coffee. He takes a drink and swears instantly that he is more awake.

"What was that," he asks her. "I call it a lifesaver. Black coffee and a triple shot of caffeine and hazelnut." "It works," he says, as Roman points to a spot on a utility map. "That is the location Chad remembers from when they were first held. We need to mobilize."

Chad looked at the spot on the map and thought about the location and how long it would take him to get there. He excused himself to go to the restroom, but he purposefully turned the wrong way and took off running as soon as he reached the door to the building. He wondered if Roman offered to drive him so that he wouldn't have access to his car.

It took him about ten minutes to get there and he was thankful that he didn't see any police cars catching up with him. His phone had rang once but he texted back that the coffee had made him sick, which seemed to work. He kneeled behind a series of trees and tried to look into the windows, but they were all too high up for him to see through.

A back door was clearly evident from the outside, but he didn't notice it when he was there before. He tried to remember the interior of the building. He made his way to the back door and gently pulled as quietly as possible. He was surprised that the door was unlocked. He opened it just enough so that he could sneak through and then closed it behind him without a single sound.

Will rested his head on one of the de-electrified bars of the cage he was locked inside. It was obvious that the electricity hadn't been fixed, but Joe was smart enough to remove the cots and mini refrigerator. All that was there to replace it was a pillow and two thin cotton blankets. He looked ahead as Joe paced back and forth but he didn't care. All he wanted to do was see if his mother was alright.

"When are you going to realize that this is stupid and that you should let me go?" "Shut up," Joe said, continuing his pacing. "I've got to figure out my next move. I've got to make the DiMera's pay." Will rolled his eyes, "Yeah, you kidnapped the wrong person you big dork." He growled and then returned his vision to the floor.

"I should just kill you now. That would take care of you," he said, reaching for his gun. He approaches the cage and levels the gun at Will. "Wait a minute. You don't want to do that. I don't know how you were eligible for bail the first time you shot me, but I'm pretty sure that if you shoot me a second time you'll be locked up for the rest of your life."

"Doesn't matter. I can get away now if I play my cards right. Then I can comeback in a few months and kill that little snot to make Stefano Dimera pay." Will shakes his head, "What did the DiMera's do to you? You didn't work for them." "Of course I worked for them. Except I wasn't given a choice and when I tried to leave the operation I received my wife's ponytail in the mail a few days after she came home screaming that a guy raped her and cut her hair."

Will was horrified. No one deserved that, but he had to figure out a way to make sure that he wasn't shot for a second time. "That is horrible. I agree with you, okay? Stefano DiMera needs to pay for this, but shooting me won't do you any good. I'm already locked in the cage and I can't go anywhere. Why don't you just leave and you can call in my location whenever you feel safe?"

He shook his head and cocked the weapon. As he prepared to fire Will watched as Chad emerged from between a stack of boxes and tackled Joe. He hit him in the head with his knee a couple of times and after he seemed to be unconscious he picked up the gun and threw it across the room. A gunshot fired as the gun landed, but it hit the ceiling and stayed put.

"Chad! What are you doing here?" Chad approached him and quickly kicked the door. The third was the charm, knocking the door completely off the hinges and after a brief shock he held Will in his arms. "Thank god you're okay!" Will was two steps ahead of him and he slowly pulled him towards the door.

"I have to get help and find out how my mother is doing." "She is going to be fine, Will. She got out of surgery about an hour ago. It went really well." They ran outside finding a dozen guns pointing directly at them. They quickly ran past and approached Roman, who quickly put them in a squad car and drove them to safety.

"Chad, what in the hell were you thinking? You could have gotten yourself killed." "I was thinking that I had to save Will. Nothing else mattered." Will quickly kissed him, not caring who was in the car and able to see them. "I guess that answers the question of whether he loves you back," Roman says under his breath, trying to hide the smile

Back at the police station, Will impatiently waits for Roman to finish his questioning. He and Chad had already identified Joe as their attacker, and Roman heard a couple of police officers commenting about gunshot residue and bullet trajectories. Will just wanted to get to the hospital.

Stefano DiMera entered the police station which was enough to put the majority of the police officers on edge. Chad wondered if their history of hating him would ever be something that could be put in the past. At the same time he wondered what he and EJ were always whispering about. "Are you to okay," he asked, approaching them quickly.

"We're fine...dad," Chad said. Stefano wasn't able to hide his smile. "I'm just trying it out," Chad added quickly. "Fair enough. Will, I am sorry to hear about Rafe and your mother." As soon as Roman emerges from a room Stefano finds himself glaring at him. "Would you care to explain to me how this guy managed to get bail?"

Roman held up his hands. They all knew that it wasn't something he had control over. "If I were a lawyer you can be certain I wouldn't have allowed it. Why are you so concerned?" Stefano rolled his eyes, "William was abducted. Sami and Rafe were shot and one of them was murdered in cold blood. Then, my son goes and puts himself into danger to save the life of his boyfriend."

"I understand your concern and I am in complete agreement." Roman takes a look at Will and then back to Stefano. "Would you mind driving Will to the hospital to see his mother? I'm going to be stuck making sure this jackass doesn't find his way back on the streets." Stefano nods, "Of course. Will, we can leave immediately, if you would like." Will walks to his Grandfather and gives him a hug before walking out with Stefano and Chad.

"Chad, I appreciate what you did, but if you ever do something like that again I will kill you myself," Will says, getting into the chauffeured vehicle. Chad smiles deviously and kisses Will quickly on the lips and then sits back. "I would do it again and again," he says, showing his genetic stubbornness. "Conrad, please take us to the hospital." "Yes, sir," the driver says, pulling out of the parking lot.

Chad puts arm around Will, knowing that he must be upset about Rafe and worried for his mother. "I assure the both of you that the people responsible for all of this will be behind bars for a very long time." Will was quiet and kept his attention on the lights passing by outside the window. Chad stayed quiet along with him, but he was already imagining seeing the three of them fried in the electric chair.

-  
>Please post reviews for me. I want to hear your thoughts!<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

Coupled Isolation  
>Rating: T<br>Pairing: Will Horton/Chad DiMera

Chapter N I N E

Sami took a drink from a peach colored cup and white straw. "Thanks," she says, as Lexi takes the cup and places it on a nearby table. Lexi sits next to her. "Sami, there is something that I have to tell you. It's about Rafe." Sami's heart stops beating for a split second and the color quickly drains from his face. "Where is he? Is he okay?"

Lexi shakes her head. "I'm afraid not. Honey, he was shot in the head when he tried to protect you from the gun. I'm so, so sorry." Sami begins crying, so Lexi quickly hugs her, brushing her hair to keep her calm. "The bastard that did this is going to pay for what he's done, Sami. The good news is that you, Will and Chad are all going to be okay."

"You mean Will was hurt? Oh, god..." The doctor shakes her head, "No, no sweetie, Will is on his way here with Chad, but he isn't hurt at all. Chad beat the police to the location where he was being held and he snuck in and knocked out the guy. He is back in police custody and Will wasn't harmed at all."

Synchronicity becomes evident as Will walks into the room, leaving Stefano and Chad in the waiting room. As Lexi backs away Will quickly takes her place, hugging his mother. "I'm so glad to see you," he says. "We are going to be alright," Sami says, not really believing it. Lexi excuses herself and walks to the waiting area where she finds her father and half brother.

"It was sweet of you to bring him here." Stefano shrugs, "Sami and our family have not had the best track record, but I suppose I will always think of her as her mother's daughter." "Dad that is just a lot bit creepy." He smiles, "I apologize. How is she?" Lexi takes a seat, "Well, I'm not really allowed to discuss her condition to non-family, but I can tell you that she is going to be okay."

"That's good news," Chad says, taking a slow breath. Lexi smiles at her brother, "Rumor has it you evaded the police and snuck into the building to save the day. You may just be the upstanding member of society that proves the DiMera family is heading in the direction of peaceful coexistence with our neighbors." Chad smiles, "I knew the police would never go into the building. It would have put Will in more danger."

"Well, you were very brave. If you will both excuse me I need to finish my rounds." Lexi leaves the two men alone. Stefano takes a deep breath and then turns to face his son. "I am happy we have this moment alone, Chad. There are some things that I wanted to say to you."

"I'm not going to that crazy reparative therapist. If you want me to move out I will," he says calmly. "What? Absolutely not! You are my son and welcome to live in our home for as long as you wish. I wanted to speak to you about Kate." Chad is quiet. He sits and listens, intrigued by Stefano's opinions.

"Kate has grown fond of you, Chad. She is very protective of the people that she considers family, and it is obvious to me that she includes you in that category. I want you to be patient with her. She will come around eventually; she just requires time to process everything that has occurred."

"At first I thought it was because she had this image of how Will would be in her head. But we can't wait for her to accept our relationship, and to be honest we shouldn't have to." Stefano nods, "You are exactly correct, son. But I think it matters more to you than you are trying to make me believe."

"Maybe. I do value her opinion, I guess." Stefano laughs and pats his son on the shoulder. "Time will make all things better, you'll see. But you can't hide away and pretend your relationship doesn't exist when you're around her, just like you can't try to shove it down her face."

"You're saying I can't make out with Will to get back at her?" Stefano laughs, "That would not be a good idea. Chad, I want you to be happy. I want all my children to be happy. But I think you should take it slow with Will. It wasn't so long ago that you were fighting and trying to break him up with a previous girlfriend."

"Yeah, but we're both over that now. We realize the reason we were fighting each other so much was because we were trying to fight our attraction for one another. It isn't that much different from men and women dating." Stefano thinks for a moment. He crosses his arms, "I just want you to make sure that you are safe and protected."

Chad laughed. "Are you really trying to have the sex talk with me in the middle of a hospital?" Stefano nods, "Well, yes. I never really had to have this discussion with my other children. Sadly the majority of them were raised by staff. Chad, I realize that you are older and already...experienced, but I want you to be sure before you make any decisions that you can't take back."

"Dad, trust me. Will and I aren't going to rush into anything until we are both ready." Stefano nods and raises his arms in defeat, "Excellent. That is all I ask of you. Now, we should probably head home. I need to check on Kate." Stefano and Chad stand. "I am just going to say goodbye to Will." Stefano nods and pulls out his cells phone as soon as he is sure that no one is around.

He dials and puts the phone to his ear, eagerly anticipating an answer. "It's me. Stop by the house tomorrow. I have a special assignment for you." "How many targets," the distorted voice asked. "Three," he responded. He hung up as soon as he saw Chad approaching. "All set."

Chad opened his eyes to the bright sun coming in through the window of his third floor bedroom. He was excited to find the sun had finally decided to greet him. He had always been a morning person, which often drove his mother up a wall when her wanted to sleep in on the weekend. He walks into his adjoining bathroom and turned on the shower.

After he finishes getting clean and getting dressed he heads downstairs. Kate and Stefano are both drinking a cup of coffee and eating a mixture of fruit and granola. Chad takes an apple and has a seat across from Kate at the end of the table. She smiles at him and he smiles back, trying to follow his father's advice to give her time and space.

"What are you up to this morning?" Chad thinks for a moment and quickly chews the final bite. "I have a marketing class at nine thirty. I will probably check in on Will and Sami. Other than that, I have no clue."

"That sounds nice," Kate says. She takes a drink while Stefano continues reading the business pages. "I am going to talk to Will about taking him out on a date." Before either of them can respond Chad's phone beeps. He looks at it finding a message from Abigail asking to meet at Java.

"I have to jet." He quickly leaves and heads for Java which takes him about ten minutes with the morning traffic. Abigail is sitting just inside. He takes a seat. "Hey. Thanks for meeting me." "I was surprised that you texted considering you made it pretty clear that you would have nothing to do with me if I moved into the DiMera mansion."

She took a drink of her coffee and then gave him a weak smile. "I'm sorry. I just was worried that you would be corrupted by the DiMera name and change who you are. I was half right with all the trouble you and Will have gone through." "Well, I can't knock you for that one," he admits.

"So maybe you would want to hang out tonight?" Chad blushes slightly, but not for the reason she thinks. "Well, I can't. I've kind of met someone." She seems shocked and suddenly distracted. "Oh, well that is great. Do I know her?"

"Hey you two," Will says. "Hey, you are here at the best moment," Abigail says. Will takes a seat between them at her invitation. "Why is that?" "Chad was just about to tell me about a girl he just met." "Really? Chad, you have to tell us who this amazing person is." Chad smiles at the two of them, "Well, it is more of a relationship out of convenience. When we kiss I kind of feel like I am drowning in garlic and onions. But what a body!"

Will glares at him and kicks him under the table, causing Chad to feign injury. "Why would you want to be with someone like that? There have to be plenty of other girls out there." Will nods,"Yeah, what keeps you with this one when there are so many other options?" "The heart wants what the heart wants," he responds. Abby senses something, but keeps focused on the task at hand. "Well...who is she? Do Will and I know her?"

"Well...maybe. I'm not so sure if I should give out names." Abby looks annoyed but she keeps her composure by taking another drink. Will and Chad share a lustful look when she isn't paying attention. "Bull," Abby says suddenly, "I want to know who this important person in your life is."

"Well, blond hair has always been a turn-on for me," Chad says. "Really," Abby asks, reading something into the situation that isn't there. "Oh, yeah. And blue eyes that kind of hold all of the answers, ya know?" "Totally," Will says, half forgetting that Abby is there with them and has blue eyes, just like him. "That sounds incredible," Abby says, looking at Chad with hopeful eyes.

"Well, I've met someone too," Will says suddenly. "Who cares," Abby says. "I mean who is it," she quickly adds, trying to cover for her lapse? Chad and Will both laugh. "Is it anyone that we know?" Will shrugs his shoulders, "Probably not." Abby sighs, "Now that you mention it Will, I heard that you broke up with Gabi. Don't tell me that you were cheating on her with some new girl."

"Of course not. Our relationship didn't begin until after I ended things with Gabi." "Tell us who it is," Chad pleads. Will shakes his head, "Not quite yet. But I can tell you that it is pretty easy to get lost in this pair of brown eyes." Abby takes another drink and her mind starts working. She carefully watches the looks that they are giving one another. She matches up the hair and eye color that Chad was discussing.

"It can't be. I don't know how to ask this without being offensive." "Ask what," Chad asks, playing dumb. "Are you and Will talking about each other?" Will laughs, "What are you talking about? Chad?" Abby nods, "You two have seemed to have this brand new friendship that started from nowhere. A minute ago you two described one another."

Chad laughs, "I haven't ever thought about Will in that way. But now that you mention it, he probably is a pretty good kisser." "The best," Will says, suddenly leaning over to meet Chad across the table. Abby's eyes are wide in surprise when they separate from one another. "Holy crap."

"Sorry Abby. We were playing a little game with you." She shakes her head, "No, it's fine. I mean, it isn't like I care one way or the other. Congratulations," she says, finding solace in the fact that if she can't be with Chad it won't be another girl that gets her fingers on him. "It sort of developed when we were being held captive."

"It does make sense. I mean, you two were practically at one another's throats for a few months there. Must have been sexual tension." "Something like that," Chad says, "except that I'm prettier than he is." "So are you two going public with this?" Will nods, "I guess so. I mean, the only people that know now are our parents and you." "Yeah, and your Grandfather," Chad says to Will. "Right. Your chauffeur probably knows too." "Probably," he agrees.

"Well your first step is to change your Facebook status. But, um, maybe you should give Gabi a little bit of time." Will sighs, "I wanted to talk to you two about that. I just heard from my mom that she left town since Rafe..." "I'm sorry to hear that," Abby says. Chad nods, "Gabi is a great girl. It sucks that she got caught up in all of this between us."

"Well, I've got to get to class. Maybe we could all catch up later?" "Yeah, that sounds good," Will says, as Chad stands and heads towards his car to get to class. After he has left Will turns back to Abby. "So give me your honest opinion. Are you mad at me for stepping into your action?" She takes another drink. "What are you talking about?"

"Come on, Abigail. I could tell you kind of had a thing for Chad for a while, and the way you were asking him questions a minute ago made it pretty obvious. You had a thing for him." She nods, giving up. "I had an interest. I mean, I'm related to the majority of the people in this town, not to mention the diminishing amount of uncoupled young people."

"Well then Chad and I will help find someone great for you. What about that new guy at Salem U. Ryan, or something?" "I don't think I know him," she says. "Well, don't worry, okay? We are on the case." She leans back in her chair and eyes him for a moment. "You are almost glowing Will. He really makes you that happy?"

"Yeah, he does." "Good. Hopefully you and I will be able to double team him." "Excuse me. You want us to do what to my boyfriend?" She rolls her eyes, "Disgusting mind, William. I meant the fact that he is surrounded by Stefano. I know you kind of like the guy, but I worry about the influence he will have on Chad."

"I know what you mean. Of all of the things I know about Stefano the one thing that comes back is that the most important thing to him is his family. He is willing to do anything for them. I think that makes Chad safe, unless he gets caught up in one of his family's schemes."

"I still don't know how Doctor Carver managed to avoid all of that mess. I guess Abe must be a pretty good guy." Will nods. "Well, I promised my mother I would come and get some pastries to hasten her recovery. You should stop by and see her."

"How is she doing? About Rafe and the shooting?" "I think she has a little PTSD about it, but she is doing the best she can. She and Rafe had been fighting for a while but I think she ha it in her head that they were going to get through it and move on. I think she is heartbroken right now."

"Okay. Tell her I will stop by around lunchtime with something for her to eat. I don't want to hear about her trying to cook." "Thank you. I think she will be thrilled to see someone's face besides mine and her father's. Even Chad would make her happy, I think." "Yeah, how is she dealing with all that?" "Everyone is really cool about it except for my Grandmother."

"Even Stefano is accepting of his son?" Will nods. "That is absolutely shocking. I'm sure Kate will come around eventually.". "We'll see. She doesn't have the best track record for accepting differences."

-  
>I wrote everything to this point on my iPad. From here on out I<br>will return to my typical writing format which is easier on the eyes.  
>Please post reviews and leave comments. I still read every one!<p> 


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